Navajo-Hopi Observer (Jan 13, 2025) by Aaron Chatters

Being a lifelong hunter and fisher, I’ve always been an avid hiker as well. I travel wherever it is necessary to get meat for the table, but I rarely hike just for fun and almost never on a trail. My wife enjoys trail hiking as she can relax and enjoy nature, not having to dedicate any thought to where she is or where she wants to go next, instead just following the trail in front of her. For years she dreamed of us hiking the 800-mile long Arizona Trail (AZT) together. Last summer, not ready to commit to such a huge undertaking, I reluctantly agreed to hike the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim with her instead. Our plan was to hike it in a single, exhausting day. For weeks, I began training. I hiked a five mile loop around our neighborhood with a 30 pound pack everyday. I was finally ready, but the Dragon Bravo Fire had other plans for me. Since the North Rim was shut down, we decided to hike a 30 mile portion of the Arizona Trail instead. The trip started out as a favor to my wife, but after seeing cool caves, finding antlers and having a 20-yard showdown with a bear, I became obsessed! Every minute we weren’t physically on the trail, we were still there mentally.

The AZT was the brainchild of Flagstaff school teacher Dale Shewalter in the 1970s. He hiked from Nogales to Utah in 1985 to prove its feasibility. Shewalter gathered excitement around the project and countless people worked hard on new trails to connect existing ones until the continuous path from Mexico to Utah was completed in 2011. Roughly 100 people a year complete the journey by traversing a total of 118,000 feet in elevation gain as the trail winds over numerous mountains and across the largest canyon on earth. At 800 miles, it is equivalent to hiking from Williams to Helena in the center of Montana if one walked in a straight line. A hike up Mt. Everest typically starts at an elevation of 16,404’ to reach the summit at 29,032’. The AZT is equivalent to nine Everest summits, but exceeds this in length! The fastest anyone has hiked it was in 13 days by Joe “Stringbean” McConaughy. At an average of 61 miles a day, this is a record likely to hold for some time. Anyone can visit AZtrail.org for these and additional facts about the trail until they have sufficiently talked themselves out of doing it. That’s not my goal with this article. I want to impress upon you that anyone can complete it, especially you!

If you are going to hike it continuously, it is best to start at the Mexico border in March/April or the Utah border in October/November. Springtime hiking will make it easier on locating water, but often you can drop water where the trail intersects roads so that it is waiting to quench your thirst at a later date. The AZT is divided into 43 passages that mark easier starting and stopping points. My wife and I are hiking a few passages a month rather than doing a bold “start to finish” adventure. At this pace we will complete it in about two years. Once the trail is open from Rim to Rim, we hope to complete this most challenging section in a single day. Hiking across the Grand Canyon is equivalent to doing a marathon with 10 pounds of water on your back while you ascend over a mile in elevation at the end of the hike. It doesn’t have to be done in a day, but to do it otherwise requires getting permits and carrying sleeping gear.

Speaking of gear, after hiking over 200 miles of the trail, I have some nuggets for you. For hiking the AZT, I prefer Merrell mid-height boots with Vibram soles. They are medium on cost, but last very long, are comfortable and they can even be found at Mountain Man Mercantile in Williams. Danners are even more durable, but are heavy for my taste. I rub Vaseline on my heels and toes before putting on my padded socks. If you’re a guy, Vaseline is a must have for other areas that tend to rub as well. I use a gallon of water a day with Gatorade powder added to 1/4 strength. Meals are always designed to have plenty of protein to satisfy my quads after a long day on the trail. Homemade deer jerky is my favorite as it has protein and the salt needed for my body to hang onto moisture. If I’m able to drop water and camping gear, I only use a small pack capable of carrying a gallon of water, first aid, snacks and a pistol. For more remote areas, a larger 40 to 50 pound pack is required as it contains sleeping gear, extra water and a coffee pot to boil natural water sources for three minutes to make it safe for consumption.

The trail should be an experience you tailor to be your own. Whether you do it in a single three month span or make it a lifelong journey, you are sure to do more for your physical and mental health than watching television for that same timeframe. If you can’t hike it with someone else, consider bringing a satellite phone. I suggest a pistol for protection, but bear spray could be used instead.

The trail goes through some very remote areas where anything can happen. For me, the trail represents another time. You often don’t see anyone all day long or signs that mankind has affected the landscape other than the familiar dirt path in front of you.

I hope you’re inspired to start the Arizona Trail or even just take a day hike. Sedona can be nice this time of year.

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